Thunderstorm causes minor damage in Addison area

A swift-moving storm on Tuesday caused minor damage to a church along U.S. 127, while lightning reportedly struck an Addison business.

New Life Baptist Church approximately two miles north of Addison sustained minor damage at 2:13 p.m. The Rev. Matt SeGraves, who was at the church at the time of the storm, said the wind and rain at one point became so violent there was no visibility outside his office window for approximately eight seconds.

“It was pretty scary,” he said. “The wind was swirling, pulled open the front doors, and it blew gravel in from the parking lot.”

He said that because the wind was swirling, coupled with the sudden beginning and end of the wind, gave him reason to believe a funnel cloud passed over the church. The east-facing front doors that were pulled open were splattered with mud from the parking lot, several areas of shingles were pulled loose from the roof’s west side, a basketball backboard was broken in half, and the church sign’s lettering near the road were pulled from the sign and scattered up to 200 yards away.

Lenawee County Emergency Management Coordinator Curtis Parsons visited the church property Tuesday afternoon. He said it appears a brief, violent straight-line wind was the likely culprit.

“No indicators were found to make me feel that a tornado resulted in the damage,” Parsons said. “Dandelions laying flat all facing U.S. 127 provided clear evidence of a straight-line winds (event).”

Lightning accompanied the line of storms that prompted a severe thunderstorm warning for Monroe County after passing through Lenawee County. The Brown-Van Hemert Funeral Home along North Steer Street in Addison sustained a lightning strike but was found to be undamaged when inspected by fire chief Tim Shaw.

No other damage was immediately reported to the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday afternoon.